Gender inequality is an issue that prevails both in the Western and the non-Western worlds. Gender studies researchers are eager to develop a framework that would explain the systematic oppression of women globally. Some scholars find culture and religion to be contributing factors, thereby distinguishing between morally superior and inferior states. These researchers tend to believe that the culture of Muslim and African countries tends to be harmful and limiting to women. However, others argue that such an interpretation is dangerous as it leads to the cultural appropriation that divides women. Therefore, to understand more about the topic, it is essential to study the issues from various perspectives and find the connection of the discourse to other gender-related problems and theories.
In their book, Kristof and WuDunn (2009) explored whether Islam is representative of misogynistic views and beliefs. The authors argue that the Muslim religion and worldview are designed to empower females (Kristof & WuDunn, 2009). Historically, after Islam was introduced, women’s rights were primarily improved in the region, as the instances of female infanticide dropped significantly. Moreover, women started to be treated equally within the family and outside of it, as they were able to own property (Kristof & WuDunn, 2009). However, the Koran endorses certain aspects of gender-based discrimination, and various Muslim feminist scholars are advocating against many inequalities with their societies while still quoting the Koran.
Furthermore, the article by DasGupta (2012) criticizes the film Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women because various individuals misunderstood it, as the movie was often unethical. Some of the problems that DasGupta identified were a lack of representation of actual victims, but the focus was instead on the white male reporter and the actors. Thus, it ended up being used to turn women from the Western world against women from Islamic countries (DasGupta, 2012). The author believes that such rhetoric, when coming from the women from the Global North, symbolizes imperialism, misogyny, xenophobia, and racism that was projected on the way women look. The article by Molyneux (1985) examines the aftermath of the Nicaraguan revolution and its effects on women’s interests. The author notes that it is hard to determine the direct impact of the uprising on policymaking (Molyneux, 1985). Overall, the Sandinistas have certainly contributed to an appropriate representation of women’s interests, which brought in the improvement of women’s quality of living.
Lastly, in her article, Narayan (1998) argues that contemporary feminists reconsider the connection that gender and other minority groups have between each other as opposed to gender essentialism. The division is primarily based upon the idea that essentialists only consider a small number of women, which tend to be white, heterosexual, and middle class (Narayan, 1998). This one-sided approach is problematic because it leaves little space for women from minority groups to be heard inside and outside of the feminist community. This results in disproportional attention from the media outlets and lawmakers, giving little chance for different women to achieve their needs, leading to a division of Western and non-Western women within the movement.
Moreover, the idea of cultural essentialism is considered to be harmful to the feminist movement in general because it shifts the blame, making certain cultures responsible for sexism and discrimination. This approach of understanding sexism might be detrimental because men in the Western world are given the idea that there is no discrimination in their countries. After all, sexism is only a product of a non-Western region (Narayan, 1998). Moreover, this worldview is limiting the perception of misogyny. It does not take into consideration other factors that are involved in the issue, such as political background and history of the area.
I like that the topics of these readings are focused on the aspect of gender equality that many people choose to avoid. However, I did not favor that the texts were mostly representing the negative aspects of cultural essentialism, so the discussion felt less balanced. Before reading these materials, I was not aware of the negative consequences of evaluating gender-related issues from the perspective of culture. The movement that should be empowering females globally might be limiting and harmful to some parts of the world because of the misconceptions of different religious believes and community traditions. The developing world is changing, as the African continent is experiencing the aftermath of revolutions, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern countries are introducing reforms connected to gender rights. Therefore, it is crucial to differentiate between the religion, culture, and political structure of different parts of the world while evaluating gender inequalities in the region.
In conclusion, gender inequality has been subject to various interpretations and theories. Some consider religion and culture to influence the role that women have in certain societies, while others believe that such a worldview is harmful as it contributes to cultural essentialism. The former explains that colonialism leads to a misinterpretation of the actual causes of misogyny, racism, and other factors contributing to the systematic oppression of minority groups. Therefore, distinguishing between more and less superior cultures only leads to overall prejudice and intolerance.
References
DasGupta, S. (2012). “Your women are oppressed, but ours are awesome”: How Nicholas Kristof and Half the Sky use women against each other. Racialicious.
Kristof, N. D., & WuDunn, S. (2009). Half the sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide. Alfred A. Knopf.
Molyneux, M. (1985). Mobilization without emancipation? Women’s interests, the state, and revolution in Nicaragua. Feminist Studies, 11(2), 227-254. Web.
Narayan, U. (1998). Essence of culture and a sense of history: A feminist critique of cultural essentialism. Hypatia, 13(2), 86–106.